Govt holds Cordillera open public dialogue

BAGUIO CITY—The Department of the Interior and Local Government with its partners recently concluded a regional open public dialogue to strengthen the public's trust in the government through open and public dialogues co-designed with civil society which focused on relevant and emerging issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said.

 Dubbed as “Dagyaw’ 2020: Open government and participatory governance regional town hall meetings, DILG assistant regional director Araceli San Jose said the dialogue was anchored on the objective of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 sub-task group on governance to ensure people-centered, clean, technology-enabled, and responsive governance in addressing Covid-19 and to restart social and economic activities.
    “The conduct of the regional “Dagyaw” served as an avenue for the people to voice their questions, complaints, and recommendations in an organized forum for constructive engagement,” she said. “It brings together government officials, representatives from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the academe, and the stakeholders to share their knowledge, recommendations, and their programs and projects for their respective sector.”

 “Dagyaw” virtual dialogues kicked-off on Nov.  23, with “Usapang Ekonomiya” with lectures from experts from the Departments of Agriculture, Labor and Employment (DOLE), Trade and Industry (DTI), Transportation (DOTr), and Tourism (DOT).

Another session was conducted on Nov. 26, focusing on “Usapang Gobyerno”: Coping and thriving with Covid-19 IP concerns with experts from the municipal government of Sadanga, Mountain province, local government of Baguio and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

"Usapang Edukasyon: Kahandaan sa New Normal: Paano? and "Usapang Sosyal: Pag-iwas sa pang-aabuso ng kababaihan at kabataan: Paano?” were also included in the sessions with experts from the Departments of Education (DepEd), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Child and Family Service Philippines Inc. (CFSPI).)

In response to call from mental advocates, Dagyaw 2020 was concluded with session on mental illness and wellness: Taking care of mental and physical health amidst Covid-19.

The “Dagyaw” virtual dialogues were done with government agencies led by DILG, Dept. of Budget and Management (DBM), and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), in close cooperation with Cordillera Network (CORDNET) of NGOs Alay sa Kapatid Foundation (AKAP), and CFSPI. -- PMTG/DILG -CAR